Ohio's tuition rise lowest

A two-year tuition freeze at Ohio's public colleges is providing relief to students and helping the state compete, a new report suggests.

A two-year tuition freeze at Ohio's public colleges is providing relief to students and helping the state compete, a new report suggests.

"Praise the Lord, it's great to know that we're making progress," said Senate President Bill Harris. "But we have a long road ahead of us if we're going to reach those students who aren't going to college because they don't think they can afford it or don't think they need it."

Harris and other high-ranking lawmakers pledged that higher education would remain a priority in the next two-year budget, despite the difficult economic times. They said they want to keep the tuition freeze in place, noting that rapidly increasing costs before the freeze had made state schools 50 percent more expensive than the national average.

"Just to reach the national average on college costs, we would need to freeze tuition for the next six years," said Speaker Jon A. Husted, a Republican from Kettering.

The College Board's annual pricing report, which was released yesterday, showed that Ohio's public schools had the lowest growth of tuition among all states.

The four-year public schools moved from being the nation's seventh most expensive to eighth, while two-year state schools moved from seventh priciest to 11th. Their average tuition and fees: $8,482 for four-year schools and $3,516 for the two-year ones.

As with most states, the ranking of Ohio's private schools did not change, remaining No. 20. Their average price rose $1,301 this year to $25,020.

Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut said the news is "even better than the College Board reports."

The College Board counted the state's regional campuses as two-year schools, even though most of their students are working toward bachelor's degrees, he said. If they were counted as part of the four-year schools, he said, the state's rank would improve because regional-campus tuition is less expensive than at the main campuses.

Overall, the College Board said the price of college nationwide climbed 6.4 percent at four-year public schools, rising slightly higher than inflation. However, students have been receiving more financial aid, including both grants and federal loans.

In 2007, lawmakers gave the state's public colleges $254 million more than in the previous budget but ordered the schools to not increase tuition for in-state students for two years.

The question now becomes whether there will be money in the next state budget.

"We're going to see more students interested in going to college, but fewer who can afford it," said Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, which represents the state's 14 four-year public schools.

Husted and Harris said the state's economy depends on continuing to invest in education.

Rep. Armond D. Budish, a Beachwood Democrat who wants to become speaker if the GOP loses control of the House in the election, agreed.

"Moving forward, Democrats at the Statehouse will continue to address the affordability of higher education so our young people not only have greater access to college but we will also work with the chancellor to stem the brain drain to ensure we then retain those graduates when they complete their degree," he said.

epyle@dispatch.com

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